Mexican Americans Like African Americans, Mexican Americans also experienced both progress and prejudiced during the war years.
While Mexican Americans were defending democracy overseas, they also had to stand up at home against racism.
"ZOOT-SUIT" riots (1943)- The zoot suit was a style of dress adopted by Mexican-American youths as a symbol of their rebellion against tradition. The riot began when 11 sailors in LA reported that they had been attacked by Mexican Americans. This riot lasted two nights of violence involving thousands of servicemen and civilians. The city's response was to outlaw the wearing of zoot suits.
Japanese Americans
War was a daily struggle for Japanese Americans to maintain their dignity, due to the fact of being locked up in U.S. internment camps.
In the camps, many young men tried to escape by volunteering for military service. Japanese Americans felt that it was their obligation to volunteer and go into service, and do what they could to show that they were loyal to the government, and it was wrong, to put them into camps.
In 1944, Japanese Americans fought for justice in the courts and in Congress. A Supreme Court case that bests fits this is, "Korematsu v. United States." The Court decided that the governments policy of evacuating Japanese Americans into camps was the reasoning of, "military necessity."
(JACL) Japanese American Citizens League supported Japanese Americans after the war to push the government to compensate those sent to camps who lost their property. In 1965 Congress authorized. Later in 1978, JACL pointed out that, "Restriction does not put a price tag on freedom or justice." They called for the payment of restitution to each individual who suffered evacuation and internment. The organization wanted to acknowledge this so that it wouldn't occur again.
Like African Americans, Mexican Americans also experienced both progress and prejudiced during the war years.
"ZOOT-SUIT" riots (1943) - The zoot suit was a style of dress adopted by Mexican-American youths as a symbol of their rebellion against tradition. The riot began when 11 sailors in LA reported that they had been attacked by Mexican Americans. This riot lasted two nights of violence involving thousands of servicemen and civilians. The city's response was to outlaw the wearing of zoot suits.
Japanese Americans